Kretschmann Stands Firm on Maintaining Late Summer Vacation Commencement - Summer break commences at a later date, and Kretschmann remains unchanged in his decision.
In Germany, the summer holidays for students in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg, and other regions are regulated by the Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education (Kultusministerkonferenz). This body is responsible for coordinating the holiday schedules across all federal states to avoid all states having holidays at the same time, thereby helping to spread tourism over the summer and reduce traffic congestion.
For Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg, the summer holidays traditionally start later than in other states, usually around the end of July. For instance, Bavaria's holidays start around July 31, and Baden-Württemberg's around July 27 in 2025. In comparison, states like Hamburg and Lower Saxony begin their summer breaks much earlier in July.
The reasons for this late start in Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria are rooted in regional education policies and historical scheduling preferences, which aim to accommodate local factors such as weather patterns, economic considerations, and coordination with other holidays throughout the year. These states tend to have longer summer breaks but place them later in the calendar.
Recently, there has been ongoing debate about changing the summer holiday regulations in Germany. Some regions, such as North Rhine-Westphalia, have advocated for a later start to the summer holidays. However, Minister President Winfried Kretschmann (Greens) of Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria has no plans to change the current summer holiday dates until 2030.
The CDU politician Dorothee Feller from North Rhine-Westphalia has expressed a desire for a later start for the summer holidays in her region. Support for a later start has also come from Thuringia, Lower Saxony, and Hamburg. However, as of now, there is no publicly available indication that Baden-Württemberg or Bavaria plan to shift their summer holiday schedules to start earlier or align more closely with other states.
Here is a summary of the summer holiday start dates for some states in 2025:
| State | Summer Holiday Start 2025 | Notes | |-------------------|---------------------------|----------------------------------------| | Bavaria | July 31 | Traditionally late start, long break | | Baden-Württemberg | July 27 | Similar late start, staggered schedule| | Hamburg | July 13 | Earlier summer holiday start | | Lower Saxony | July 6 | Earlier summer holiday start |
Thus, Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria's position as the last to begin summer holidays remains a feature of Germany’s staggered holiday system, aimed at balancing regional needs and national logistics. The coordination of summer holiday calendars among federal states has been ongoing for about 50 years.
- In the context of ongoing debates about changing the summer holiday regulations in Germany, some states such as Thuringia, Lower Saxony, and Hamburg have expressed support for a later start to the summer holidays, following the example set by EC countries like Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria, renowned for their emphasis on education-and-self-development and vocational training.
- Politics and general news in Germany are currently monitoring the stance of Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria, as the traditionally late start of their summer holidays is crucial to maintaining the country's staggered holiday system, designed to balance regional needs and national logistics, thereby promoting education-and-self-development, tourism, and traffic management.
